CARACAS (Reuters) – Four wallabies, including two albinos, are poised to become the newest attractions at Venezuela’s largest zoo, where a senior official hopes they will herald the arrival of more visitors – as well as other species.
The quartet, a female and three males, arrived at Caricuao Zoo in Caracas on Dec. 22 from a zoo in Toledo, Spain, said park coordinator Jesus Hidalgo.
Venezuela’s zoos and national parks have not escaped the impact of its long-running economic crisis, which has made financing their animals’ upkeep difficult, according to employees.
Caricuao gets some 22,000 visitors a month and has around 200 animals, Hidalgo said.
But he says it still lacks many big-draw species, notably elephants and giraffes, something he hopes may change now that the marsupials are there.
(Reporting by Vivian Sequera and Johnny Carvajal; Writing by Oliver Griffin; editing by John Stonestreet)
